Moore appoints running mate to Village Board

Foe says move typical of mayor

Greenwood Lake — Village elections took a turn toward the raucous Tuesday when Mayor Barbara Moore appointed her running mate, Sara Cox, to the Village Board, triggering indignation from her opponent in next month's election.

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By JOHN SULLIVAN

recordonline.com

By JOHN SULLIVAN

Posted Feb. 21, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By JOHN SULLIVAN
Posted Feb. 21, 2013 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

Greenwood Lake — Village elections took a turn toward the raucous Tuesday when Mayor Barbara Moore appointed her running mate, Sara Cox, to the Village Board, triggering indignation from her opponent in next month's election.

The appointment occurred hours after the county Board of Elections disqualified Cox from the race, and shortly after another trustee made a sudden and unannounced resignation from village government.

That trustee, Wayne Russo, said his resignation was not intended to help Moore. "I've just had enough of this small-town politics," he said.

Jesse Dwyer, a board member who's challenging Moore for mayor, suspects that Moore's appointment of Cox was an attempt to ensure the mayor had some support on the board if she wins re-election.

Moore challenged that allegation. Even if Dwyer loses the election, he will maintain a seat on the Village Board, she noted. Dwyer's two running mates are now running unopposed for two open trustee seats, ensuring that Dwyer and his allies will have majority control of the board even if she wins, she said.

Cox will remain on the board for one year to fill the remainder of Russo's two-year term.

Cox was disqualified from running because 22 of the 80 signatures on her petition were invalid, according to the Orange County Board of Elections. She needed 75 signatures to qualify to run.

Dwyer has contended that Moore runs the village without consulting other board members. According to his account, the Orange County Board of Elections contacted the village about Cox's disqualification around 1:30 p.m. A half-hour later, Russo showed up at Village Hall to hand in his resignation and keys to Village Hall.

Moore then appointed Cox to fill Russo's position, just prior to a regular meeting of the Village Board at 7 p.m.

"This is consistent with the mayor's style of leadership, which excludes the trustees from having any role in the decisions that affect this village," Dwyer said of the appointment.

Moore said she learned of Cox's disqualification and Russo's resignation at exactly the same time. She said she appointed Cox to fill the vacated post to ensure a quorum at that night's board meeting.

One trustee would not be at the meeting, and the mayor was unsure about the attendance of another, she said.

Dwyer contends that Moore knew that at least two trustees would be there, ensuring a quorum. There was also no business at the meeting so urgent that it merited the mayor's swift action, he added.